Automotive rotary switch with intermediate time delay means biasing a contact in non-operative position

ABSTRACT

An electric switch including a body carrying a set of first contacts and second and third contacts. A rotor is mounted in the body and carries a first contact element for bridging selected first contacts during rotational movement of the rotor. The rotor further carries in a slot a second contact element in the form of a roller which is angularly movable with the rotor and also movable angularly relative to the rotor within the slot. A spring biasses the roller against a portion on the body carrying a pair of recesses. In one angular position of the rotor, the roller is aligned with the recesses and is urged by the spring to enter the recesses and bridge the second and third contacts. A torsion spring urges the rotor out of the said one angular position.

United States Patent 1191 Heap [ 1 AUTOMOTIVE ROTARY SWITCH WITH INTERMEDIATE TIME DELAY MEANS I BIASING A CONTACT IN NON-OPERATIVE POSITION [75] Inventor: Alec John Heap, Burnley, England [73] Assignee: Joseph Lucas (Electrical) Limited,

Birmingham, England [22] Filed: Oct. 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 301,511

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [58] Field of Search..... 200/11 C, 11 G, 11 .1, 11 K, 200/44, 11 E, 11 EA [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,358,093 12/1967 Cryer 200/44 [11] 3,819,883 June 25, 1974 3,665,128 5/1972 Schaad et a1. 200/44 Primary Examiner-James R. Scott Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Holman & Stern [5 7] ABSTRACT An electric switch including a body carrying a set of first contacts and second and third contacts. A rotor is mounted in the body and carries a first contact element for bridging selected first contacts during rotational movement of the rotor. The rotor further carries in a slot a second contact element in the form of a roller which is angularly movable with the rotor and also movable angularly relative to the rotor within the slot. A spring biasses the roller against a portion on the body carrying a pair of recesses. In one angular position of the rotor, the roller is aligned with the recesses and is urged by the spring to enter the recesses and bridge the second and third contacts. A torsion spring urges the rotor out of the said one angular position.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures up A AUTOMOTIVE ROTARY SWITCH WITH INTERMEDIATE TIME DELAY MEANS BIASING A CONTACT IN NON-OPERATIVE POSITION This invention relates to electric switches.

An electric switch according to the invention comprises a body, a plurality of first contacts on the body, a rotor, a first contact element movable by said rotor to interconnect selected ones of said first contacts, second and third contacts on said body, a second contact element operable to interconnect said second and third contacts, said second contact element co-acting with the rotor for angular movement relative thereto about the rotor axis, and biasing means operable to urge said second contact element to move relative to the rotor and to interconnect said second and third contacts when said rotor is in a predetermined angular position relative to said body.

An example of aswitch according to the invention will now be described-with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a longitudinal section through the switch;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section of a detail of the switch;

FIG. 4 is a view on arrow B in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 shows another detail of the switch, as viewed on arrow A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a section on line 6-6 in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 shows a further detail of the switch. Y

The switch. has a body comprising a cup-shaped member 10 which is secured to an axially aligned base II. Base I1 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 5 and 6,

and supports a plurality of contacts 12 arranged on a pitch circle about the axis of base 11. Base 11 also supports a pair of contacts I3, 13a which lie within a recess at the centre of the base 11. Contacts 12, 13a extend through the base 11 to provide external connections 15, contact 13 being connected with one of the contacts 12 via an external connector (see FIG. 5).

Mounted within the body is a rotor 16, shown in detail in FIGS. 3and 4. Non-rotatably engaged on rotor I6 is a contact plate 17, also shown in FIG. 7. Plate 17 is biased towards base II by springs 18, and is formed with dimpled projections 19 which selectively interconnect contacts 12 as the rotor is rotated.

A detent arrangement, not shown, co-operates with the body and with rotor. 16 to locate the latter at predetermined angular positions relative to the body, these positions corresponding to an off position of the switch and to desired interconnections between contacts 12. Projection 20 on the rotor 16 is engageable with abutments 21, 22 on the member 10 to limit angular rotation of rotor: 16.

The relative positions of the detent arrangement and the abutment 22 are such that the rotor 16 may be moved further clockwise, as seen in FIG. 2, from its most clockwise detent location, prior to engagement witheabutment 22. A torsion spring 23 is engageable with'rotor l6 and'member 10 so that, as rotor 16 is moved further-clockwise as described, an anticlockwise bias is applied tourge rotor 16 back to its most clockwise detent position.

Rotor 16 has a through slot 24 which passes through the rotor axis. Opposite walls of the slot 24 have offset parallel portions 25, 26 and offset parallel portions 27, 28, portions27, 28 lying at 30 to portions 25, 26 respectively, whereby an electrically conductive roller 29 lying within slot 24 is free to rotate through 30 relative to rotor 16 about the axis thereof.

Roller 29 is biased towards base 11 by a spring 30 and engages a step 31 surrounding the edge of the re cess 14 in base 11. Step 31 is provided with a pair of diametrally opposed recesses 32 defined by ramps whereby when roller 29 is aligned with these recesses roller 29 is urged by spring 30 into engagement with contacts 13, 13a. Adjacent the recesses 32 are a pair of diametrally opposed indentations 33 engageable by rol ler 29 during clockwise rotation of rotor 16 before roller 29 enters recesses 32. The angular positions of indentations 33 relative to the switch body are such that roller 29 can enter indentations 33 in the most clockwise detent position of the rotor 16, subsequent clockwise movement of rotor to engage abutment 22 urging roller 29 from indentations 33 on to the adjacent ends of recesses 32.

The switch is particularly adapted for use as an ignition and starter switch for a road vehicle in which a starter device has a pair of circuits which are required to be successively energised, a predetermined delay time elapsing between energisation of these circuits. Contacts 12 are respectively connected to a voltage supply, to vehicle auxiliary equipment, to the vehicle ignition and to the starter circuit which is required to be energisedfirst. Contact 13 is connected to the voltage supply through the first stage of the starter circuit and via contact 13a to the second stage of the starter circuit which is required to be energised after the delay.

In use, clockwise rotation of rotor 16 from the off" position causes first the auxiliary circuits to be energised and then the auxiliaries and ignition together. In this latter condition the rotor 16 is in its most clockwise detent position. Further clockwise rotation of rotor 16 against spring 23 de-energise the auxiliaries and energises the first stage of the starter circuit, the ignition remaining energised during the 30 of rotation required to bring rotor l6-into engagement with abutment 22.

During this clockwise rotation of rotor 16, roller 19 is also urged clockwise by engagement with faces 27, 28 of slot 24. As the first starter circuit is energised, roller 29 leaves indentations 33 under the influence of the continuing rotation of the rotor 16 resulting in a small clockwise movement of roller 29 away from faces 27, 28. Roller 29 is now on the adjacent upper ends of recesses 32, the action of spring 30 causing roller 29 to move clockwise relative to rotor 16 down the ramps to recesses 32. Roller 29 bottoms in recesses 32 interconnecting contacts 13, 13a to energise the second stage of the starter circuit. The interval between energisation of the first and second stages of the starter circuit is effectively detemiined by the time taken for roller 29 to move from the top to the bottom of recesses 32, and is thus dependent on the dimensions of recesses 32, the bias applied by spring 30 and the coefficient of friction between roller 29=and base 11. Variation of these parameters results in a required delay time.

When rotor 16 is moved back under the influence of spring 23to its most-clockwise detent position, roller 29 is engaged by faces 25, 26of slot 24 and urgedout of recesses 32.

indentations 33'ensure that roller 29 can enterrecesses 32 only when urged by faces 27, 28 of slot 24 so that clockwise movement of roller 29 to interconnect contacts 13, 13a is initiated in a predetermined angular position of rotor 16 relative to the switch body.

I claim:

1. An electric switch comprising a body, a plurality of first contacts on the body, a rotor, a first contact element movable by said rotor to interconnect selected ones of said first contacts, second and third contacts on said body, a second contact element operable to interconnect said second and third contacts, said second contact element coacting with said rotor for angular movement therebetween, and biasing means operable to urge said second contact element to move relative to said rotor and to interconnect said second and third contacts when said rotor is in a predetermined angular position relative to said body, said movement effected by the interaction of said biasing means with said secnd contact element enabling the occurrence of a predetermined time delay between interconnection of said first contacts by said first contact element and the subsequent interconnection of said second and third contacts by said second contact element.

2. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein said second contact element is urged by said biassing means against a portion of the body, a recess means are provided in said body portion and arranged so that when said rotor is in said predetermined angular position relative to said body, said second contact element is aligned with said recess means whereby said biassing means urges said second contact element into engagement with said second and third contacts.

3. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein further biassing-means are provided between said rotor and said body for resiliently urging said rotor out of said predetermined angular position.

4. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein said second contact element comprises a roller which is lodged in a slot in said rotor, opposite walls of said slot having two sets of offset parallel portions, said parallel portions of one set lying at an angle relative to said parallel portions of the other set whereby angular movement of said roller relative to said rotor is permitted.

5. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein abutment means are provided on said body to prevent angular rotation of said rotor beyond said predetermined angular position. 

1. An electric switch comprising a body, a plurality of first contacts on the body, a rotor, a first contact element movable by said rotor to interconnect selected ones of said first contacts, second and third contacts on said body, a second contact element operable to interconnect said second and third contacts, said second contact element coacting with said rotor for angular movement therebetween, and biasing means operable to urge said second contact element to move relative to said rotor and to interconnect said second and third contacts when said rotor is in a predetermined angular position relative to said body, said movement effected by the interaction of said biasing means with said second contact element enabling the occurrence of a predetermined time delay between interconnection of said first contacts by said first contact element and the subsequent interconnection of said second and third contacts by said second contact element.
 2. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein said second contact element is urged by said biassing means against a portion of the body, a recess means are provided in said body portion and arranged so that when said rotor is in said predetermined angular position relative to said body, said second contact element is aligned with said recess means whereby said biassing means urges said second contact element into engagement with said second and third contacts.
 3. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein further biassing-means are provided between said rotor and said body for resiliently urging said rotor out of said predetermined angular position.
 4. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein said second contact element comprises a roller which is lodged in a slot in said rotor, opposite walls of said slot having two sets of offset parallel portions, said parallel portions of one set lying at an angle relative to said parallel portions of the other set whereby angular movement of said roller relative to said rotor is permitted.
 5. The electric switch according to claim 1, wherein abutment means are provided on said body to prevent angular rotation of said rotor beyond said predetermined angular position. 